Ottawa

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Ottawa —  City  — City of Ottawa Ville d'Ottawa Centre Block on Parliament Hill, the National War Memorial in downtown Ottawa, the National Gallery of Canada, and the Rideau Canal and Château Laurier. Flag Coat of arms Nickname(s): Bytown Motto: "Advance-Ottawa-En Avant" Written in the two official languages. Location of the City of Ottawa in the Province of Ontario, Canada Coordinates: 45°25′15″N 75°41′24″W / 45.42083°N 75.69000°W / 45.42083; -75.69000 Country Canada Province Ontario Region National Capital Region Established 1826 as Bytown Incorporated 1855 as City of Ottawa Amalgamated January 1, 2001 Government  • Mayor Jim Watson  • City Council Ottawa City Council  • MPs List of MPs Mauril Bélanger (LPC) Dan Dewar (NDP) John Baird (CPC) Royal Galipeau (CPC) David McGuinty (LPC) Pierre Lemieux (CPC) Gordon O'Connor (CPC) Pierre Poilievre (CPC)  • MPPs List of MPPs Lisa MacLeod Jean-Marc Lalonde Dalton McGuinty Phil McNeely Madeleine Meilleur Yasir Naqvi Norm Sterling Bob Chiarelli Area  • City 2,778.13 km2 (1,072.9 sq mi)  • Urban 501.92 km2 (193.79 sq mi)  • Metro 5,716.00 km2 (2,206.96 sq mi) Elevation 70 m (230 ft) Population (2011)  • City 883,391 (4th)  • Density 316.6/km2 (820/sq mi)  • Urban 933,596  • Urban density 1,860.1/km2 (4,818/sq mi)  • Metro 1,236,324 (4th) National Capital Region: 1,451,415  • Metro density 196.6/km2 (509/sq mi)  • Demonym Ottawan Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC−5)  • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4) Postal code span K0A, K1A-K4C Area code(s) 613, 343, 819, 873 Website www.ottawa.ca

Ottawa (i/ˈɒtəwə/ or /ˈɒtəwɑː/) is the capital of Canada, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and together they form the National Capital Region (NCR).

Founded in 1826 as Bytown and incorporated as "Ottawa" in 1855, the city has evolved into a political and technological centre of Canada. Its original boundaries were expanded through numerous minor annexations and ultimately replaced by a new city incorporation and major amalgamation in 2001 which significantly increased its land area. The name "Ottawa" is derived from the Algonquin word adawe, meaning "to trade". Initially an Irish and French Christian settlement, Ottawa has become a multicultural city with a diverse population.

The 2011 census had the city's population as 883,391, the census metropolitan area (CMA) population as 1,236,324, and the National Capital Region (NCR) population as 1,451,415. Mercer ranks Ottawa with the second highest quality of living of any large city in the Americas, and 14th highest in the world. It is also rated the second cleanest city in Canada, and third cleanest city in the world. In 2012, the city was ranked for the third consecutive year as the best community in Canada to live in by MoneySense.